Cindy and Sarah didn’t know it at the time, but a simple newspaper ad would shape the life they would build together.
In her early 20s, Sarah volunteered with the Special Olympics. There, she connected deeply with the athletes and their families, and what started as volunteering led to respite work. It was meaningful and felt vastly different from the nearly 20 years she had spent working for an insurance company. It got her thinking about the direction of her life.
“I wanted work with heart,” she says. “Something that would give my life more meaning. Something that would allow me to contribute to someone’s life.”
When she came across that newspaper ad for a Shared Living provider, she took a leap to open their home to support an adult with a disability in daily life.
That leap led her to Cindy.
She doesn’t believe it was a coincidence that brought her and Cindy together. “It was providence,” Sarah says. “We were meant to be together, meant to live together, and to become friends and enrich each other’s lives.”
At first, they were strangers learning to share space, but over time, that relationship deepened. Roommates became partners in daily life. Partners became friends.
Their life together is shaped by familiar routines and shared daily traditions. They make their own sodas. They walk downtown when the weather is nice to grab a coffee and split a bagel. At home, three cats and a dog are part of what they care for together, adding warmth, shared responsibility, and a sense of belonging to the home they’ve built. Blue is Cindy’s favorite color, and its glow can be found throughout their home, a simple comfort that brings a sense of steadiness to the day.
Over the years, their bond has only grown stronger. When Sarah walked through seasons of grief and loss, Cindy stayed close, offering steady companionship and a light-heartedness. In other moments, when doctor’s appointments felt overwhelming for Cindy, Sarah became the steady presence, encouraging brave steps forward and standing by her side. Life is shaped with one another in mind now. Decisions are shared. Challenges are faced together. What began as a professional role grew into something much deeper.
Cindy and Sarah’s story is an honest look at what Shared Living truly is. It asks for commitment, patience, and your whole heart. In return, it gives connection, growth, friendship, and a life woven together in ways you can’t fully anticipate.
To hear their story in their own words, watch the video below. If you feel drawn to be part of something like what they’ve built together, learn more about what it takes to get started as a Shared Living provider at https://allinc.org/share-your-home/.
